Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a great movie with a well written plot and a stellar cast. It is a film that manages to balance emotional, heavy themes with very subtle, but also side slittingly hilarious comedy. The many film parodies Earl and Greg make are a delight, just as much as the scenes with Rachel that nearly had me in tears. However, I will say that the film is not as special as it thinks it is, there is an air of confidence throughout that they are doing something unlike any other film, but I can think of several other movies (The Way Way Back, Rushmore) that created a very likewise vibe. As well as that, it constantly refers to what is going to happen at the end in a way that they clearly thought they were being clever, but I did not care for it. The cast is all around brilliant, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke are all the stars in their titular roles, and the likes of Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman and Jon Bernthal also shine in smaller, but very noticeable parts. Fun and sweet. A very enjoyable hour and a half, I would recommend Me and Earl and the Dying Girl to anyone looking for a good comedy drama. A young boy gets involved with a new girl in town, despite her fatal illness. Best Performance: Olivia Cooke

I am alway loathe to give a less than enthusiastic review of a film, but this one has issues. Beautifully directed and acted. It makes you want to keep watching. However, as the film progresses, it drags, slows, and you only watch because you want to know how it ends. I doubt anyone expects this to be a laugh a minute film, but there is little light to the shade here. I can't say this was the best way to spend 105 minutes although some people obviously find this film moving, but not me. So I suggest that you only watch this film if you like a film that is slow, artistic and very drawn out.

'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' is a solid coming-of-age film - it's charming and funny and definitely not as depressing as the title may have you believe. It's a simple concept - the not-quite nerdy, not-quite cool high-schooler, Greg (Mann), is forced by his mum to hang out with a classmate who has just being diagnosed with leukaemia, Rachel (Cooke). It's starts off as an awkward friendship, but slowly turns into genuine friendship.Earl (Cyler) is great as Greg's only friend (or "co-worker" as he calls him) and lots of the film's fun comes from the parodies they make together of classic films - such as 'Senior Citizen Cane', 'The Seven Seals', 'A Sockwork Orange', 'Eyes Wide Butt' & my favourite, 'Grumpy Cul-de-Sacs'! - most featuring clever animation and hilarious ultra-low-budget imitations. Earl acts as Greg's conscience when he turns into a shellfish teenager and forgets about Rachel's actual problems. The parents (Shannon, Offerman & Britton) all have some great scenes.The film's score, by Brian Eno, is fantastic and really adds to the emotion, especially towards the end. The finale is handled well and shows impact we can have others' lives by just being there for them. Sure, it's sad in parts, but it's realistic and it is nice to watch how Greg and Rachel handle the situation mostly with good-humour. The funny moments outweigh the sad ones and make this an enjoyable film.

What do you do when a friend is dying? We focus on that terrifying moment and forget about everything that's going on around us. In a way, that's the central theme of this movie. How can we remain empathetic when we're suffering too? Having a teenager go through this is a great choice. Especially one that's weird, dramatic and awkward. It helped make moments that would make you cringe feel meh. A few of those moments missed the mark, but the rest were pretty effective. I enjoyed this movie because it felt real, and even though it can tough at times it's definitely worth your time.